Australia’s 4x200m relay women exracted sweet redemption for their Tokyo collapse to claim their first gold in the event since 2008.
The awesome foursome of Mollie O’Callaghan, Lani Pallister, Brianna Throssell and anchor Ariarne Titmus led from start to finish despite challenges from USA and China to win in an Olympic record of 7:38.08.
It was Australia’s fifth gold in the pool at Paris and eighth overall and it was a slice of history as the first time the nation has won the women’s 4x100m and 4x200m relay golds at the same Olympics.
With individual 200m champion O’Callaghan leading off and silver medallist Titmus bringing them home, the Australians entered the event as overwhelming favourites.
Pallister was back in the pool just days after being isolated due to a bout of COVID which ruled her out of the 1500m event.
She performed her role well in the second leg with Throssell holding off a challenge from US star Katie Ledecky to maintain Australia’s lead before Titmus powered away in the final 200m.
Queen Mary of Denmark gave fellow Tasmanian icon Ariarne Titmus a hug poolside then took a photo of her with her phone like a fan girl while Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser was also beaming with pride as she watched from the stands as another chapter of national sporting history was being written.
O’Callaghan handed her gold medal over to training teammate Jamie Perkins to wear after the post-race medal ceremony but as a heat swimmer, the young Queenslander will also get one of her own along with Shayna Jack.
“This opportunity to swim alongside these girls and have the two girls who swam in the heat, it means absolutely the world to me,” O’Callaghan said.
“I dreamed of this moment ever since Tokyo, striving to get on this team and doing whatever I can.
“Jamie is my best friend at training. She’s there for me. She’s been my roommate this whole week. She’s trained her arse off to get here. She’s gone through a back injury.
“She’s done everything possible. And I think that gold medal means a lot for me to give to her because it represents what she’s been through. She’s well-deserving of it.”
Titmus told Nine that O’Callaghan had issued “some stern words in my ear behind the block” before she hit the water but couldn’t repeat them on national television.
“I’m really proud of this group. I was disappointed with how I swam in Tokyo. I personally felt like I let the team down,” she said.
“And so this was a bit of a personal vendetta for me to come back and really play my role in the team, but also do it for our country. This was a gold medal that really we knew could be ours.
“Quite emotional out there. I’m proud to do it alongside all these girls. But Bree and I have been roomies for over three months this year. And she’s never stood on the Olympic podium before. And it was very, very special to have her next to me singing the national anthem.
“We’re literally living the dream. So it’s a very special night.”
For Pallister, the relay gold makes up for some of the disappointment of having to pull out of the 1500m competition.
“That isolation room sucked, but I’m stoked I’m negative,” she said.
“I would hate to put these girls in a position where I ruin the rest of their means. So I think the medical staff at the AOC did such an incredible job looking after me and the other athletes on the Australian team that have had COVID, very mild from what it was. But yeah, these girls are so incredible.
“I didn’t think that I’d be part of this really at the start of the week. So to be here standing with them is just, I don’t think I can ask for anything more from my Olympic experience.”
Throssell admitted she was intimidated by having to go up against Ledecky but relieved to hold her at bay as well as Canadian star Summer McIntosh.
“Holy Moly, when I saw the sheets come out before of who I was swimming against, it was Summer and Katie. I was like, classic,” she said.
“But I knew that I had to just do my best for the team and not worry who I was against. And I know if I did my best, then that’s all that I could ask for.”
Cameron McEvoy warmed up for the 50m men’s final by qualifying as the equal fastest for the final on Saturday morning (AEST) while Kaylee McKeown was second fastest for the 200m women’s backstroke.
Liz Dekkers just missed out on a medal to finish fourth in the women’s 200m butterfly final with Abbey Lee Connor placing seventh.
Aussie duo Thomas Neill and William Petric missed out on the final of the men’s 200m individual medley.